Module 06-22133 (2019)

Human-computer interaction (HCI) explores the technical and psychological issues arising from the interface between people and machines. Understanding HCI is essential for designing effective hardware and software user interfaces. This module teaches the theory and practice of HCI methodologies for both design and evaluation.

• Provide the student with the core knowledge and skills required for further study and for practical HCI development
• Give students practical and theoretical knowledge in the use of HCI methodologies for both design and evaluation

1. Explain and discuss the key capabilities and limitations in human cognitive performance and relate this to the design of HCI systems
2. Select appropriate HCI Design Methodologies and apply them in the solution of real world design problems
3. Select appropriate methodologies for the evaluation of HCI systems. Implement these methodologies on real systems and analyse and discuss the results produced
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the scope and importance of HCI systems across a range of application domains

None

2 hr lecture, 1hr tutorial/practical a week

Contact Hours: 34

Sessional: 1.5 hr examination (80%), continuous assessment (20%)

Supplementary (where allowed): examination (80%) with the continuous assessment mark carried forward (20%)

1. Human performance and constraints
   • Sensory-motor (perception and action)
   • Language (statistics of language, structure, semantics, pragmatics)
   • Cognition (memory, attention, control)
   • Social (social networks)
   • Economic (game theory)
2. Tasks
   • Models/theories for understanding the task environment / context of use etc.)
   • Task analysis (HTA, GOMS etc.)
   • Ethnography
   • Controlled experiments
3. Design methodologies
   • Task-artifact cycle
   • User Centred Design
   • User Experience (UX)
   • Interaction design and models
4. Evaluation methodologies and tools
   • Heuristic evaluation
   • Cognitive walkthrough
   • Participatory design
   • Observational methods
   • Questionnaire design
5. Application areas. A series of case studies and guest lectures drawn from:
   • CSCW
   • Social Media
   • Mobile computing
   • Information Visualisation
   • Information retrieval and the web
   • Aviation/driving, situation awareness, and dynamic systems control
   • Personal information management
   • Social navigation, word-of-mouth and recommendation
   • Economic relationships (the use of eBay, Amazon)
   • Privacy & Security
   • Games